I am so excited to share my new logo design with you. This was created by J.J. Fiero aka Mr. Daggomit. JJ has such a miniamilist analog style, he also designed my logo for The Disc Golf Photographer.

Exposure: A Free Field Guide for Understanding how Exposure works with a DSLR camera. This guide is perfect for you if you want to learn more about the exposure triangle: shutter speed, aperture and ISO. This will help you to get more comfortable with learning how to use manual mode on your camera.

The Oak Park Conservatory is truly a Chicagoland hidden gem. It’s a great escape especially in the winter time. I drove by this conservatory for years on highway I-290 heading to Chicago. It always looked so interesting to me and was on my bucket list for years. I cannot believe how unique this place truly is. They have three showcase rooms: the Mediterranean Room, Tropical Room and the Desert, the level of detail put into every space here is incredible.

Orchids by Hausermann is the largest Orchid grower in the United States. They have been in business for over 100 years and are located in Villa Park, Illinois. You can take a self-guided tour through their greenhouses on their 3 acre property. This is a nice indoor activity with a big outdoor vibe especially on a winter’s day.

Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL houses more than 450 species on its 216 acre property. Here are some photographs captured by Lauren Lakeberg on a winter’s day.

Then Black and White Photographs from The Belmont Prairie on a Frosty Day by Lauren Lakeberg.

The Christkindl Market in Chicago, IL, is a very well-known German-style Christmas market that runs from late November and into December in Daley Plaza. It’s a family tradition for us to get the Glühwein, which is a warm spiced wine and the gourmet stuffed pretzels. It was all very good!

Nature is a healing place. We lost our dog a little over a month ago now, and it hit me harder today because she always loved the snow. Getting out and taking pictures of nature has been such a healing journey for me through this process. Here are just a few photos from our first accumulated snowfall of the year.

We are on the tail end of the end of Fall. The air was so crisp tonight as it blew through the prairie. I found the perfect balance of contrast between the landscape and clouds, it was perfect for black and white.

These photographs were captured just a few moments apart. I like sharing series like this with you, because it shows a little bit about how I compose things. I was only out there for maybe forty-five minutes, but there was so much to compose in that short amount of time.

Kodak Color 35mm Film is brilliant. I love the look and feel that these photographs have, with nostalgic memories of Summer. Captured with the Kodak Ultra F9.

Contrast is one of the most fundamental aspects in photography. It is what makes a 2-dimensional medium (photography) look 3-dimensional. It gives your subject a focus.

Take a walk with us through Lyman Woods. This little nature sanctuary in Downers Grove, IL, is far bigger than it looks from the outside. We went on a late fall morning walk here to find our clarity, and to take some photographs.

Nature photographs from the Prairie by Lauren Lakeberg. You can really see just how much magic a 60mm fixed lens can capture detail here: closeup and the whole scene. Nature prints are available here.

If you are wondering if it is a good idea to take your dog hiking or camping, of course it is! Taking your dog hiking and camping is one of the most rewarding experiences you can give them. But you also want to make sure you make the experience as comfortable for them as possible.

Mirror Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin is the perfect weekend getaway near the Wisconsin Dells. With 2,200 acres there are plenty of hiking trails, boat rentals available and over 150 campsites all onsite, and the Ishnala Supper Club is just footsteps away.

Original Cyanotype photographs by Lauren Lakeberg. This is a very old process in photography discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The process involves combining ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide in equal amounts and applying this emulsion to watercolor paper or an absorbent surface.